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RPlog:Local Law
Temporary billets had been found in the military base near Coronet's primary spaceport for the delegation from the Inquisiton. And conveniently, the base in question was located near a CorSec, no longer Corellia Security but Corellia Sector since the Empire's takeover, station. It was here that a particular trio found themselves, uniforms were worn, at least it was in Rainier's case although perhaps his boots were not shiny and his clothes not recently ironed. In his defence, the man did go out into town at odd hours and stayed for a long time. As they enter the station, one is greeted with the sight of what might be mistaken for an office, at least until one notices the weapons worn. And until one notices the welcoming committee, a pair of men in their most formal of uniforms. In stark contrast to his usual behavior and appearance, Jonas is clad in full uniform, and it looks quite well-kept. He stands at rigid attention, though he doesn't look very comfortable doing it. "Good afternoon, Gentlemen," the Commander greets the two who could only be here for their reception. "Thank you for meeting us so soon; I imagine you're quite busy." "Yes, Commander.", the older of the two says and though his uniform is plain as is the case with his colleague, the man had grey hair at his temples and the look of him screamed veteran. "I am Major Peny, this is Captain Durjan.", the other one nodded briefly although he was much more reserved than his superior. "Would you like to go on a tour of the station or would you rather get straight to business?" Rainier for his part loitered a few feet behind his two companions, his attention drawn to everything but the two CorSec officers before him. "Did you have opportunity to be in a police station such as this?", he whispers very quietly after having stepped towards Jonas. Jonas leans over slightly to hear the lieutenant and shakes his head. "On Corellia? No," he replies, trying to conceal his talking behind the upturned collar of his jacket. He had forgone wearing the standard Imperial uniform while planetside on Corellia unless required, and wouldn't wear it unless on important official business. "But it doesn't look any different from any other police station I've seen." "That won't be necessary, but thank you, Major." Valerius shakes his head. "I've heard that you have a team working on triangulating the origin of the pirate broadcast. What manner of progress have you made?" Peny turns his body slightly, motionning for the others to follow him, "It is better if this matter is kept to more private locations for now." It is thus that they are led through the station, the front of it, so business-like, contradicted by the jails they pass and the armoury that is under heavy guard. Finally, they come to a small room, a bank of computers on one end and before them a handful of CorSec people. "We were able to determine that the signal was in fact not live, it was designed to appear that way, but it was placed in the system prior to it being broadcast." Jonas snorts faintly at Rainier's insinuation. "No. You think they'd let me into the academy if I had a record?" he retorts. "I just know what police buildings look like, that's all." "Sounds like they've got someone who understands the intricacies of covert operations," Valerius' eyes narrow. "Still, Major, if it was edited, it had to have been edited from its physical location; unless their sysadmin is the dumbest idiot of all time, those aren't accessible from the public net. Did you raid the studio, hunt through their files? Find the responsible terminal, review the security footage?" "We did, and it led nowhere. They must have used the station itself to broadcast, but there are no traces of them, unless they accessed some master control somewhere but that raises more questions than it answers.", says Peny as he looks over the progress of his men, the computer techs for the most part focused on the task at hand. "Does this mean the Empire will take a more direct role in the investigation?", the man says, head cocked so that he can look at Valerius. Almost as if he was bored by the whole conversation between the two superiors, Rainier paid them little attention, or so it might have seemed. "You know what they say about people who know what police stations look like without having a record? They either sing very well or they have money to spare." Jonas seems to grow uncomfortable with the line of questioning and attempts to pay attention to what the officers are saying, but he still manages to reply. "You're prying an awful lot. For your information, I'm not a member of some noble Imperial family, okay? And I don't have a record. End of story." "Oh, come on, don't ask questions like that." Valerius says, rolling his eyes. "We had a nice...thing going on," he adds as an afterthought, gesturing between himself and the major. "We all want the same things here. Rainier wants to find these people, I want to get them in a position they don't want to be in, and the cadet here wants to fly a mission somewhere other than around and around your shipyards. You want order and a society that isn't on the brink of collapse. The aptly-named Inquisitor here to make sure the enemies of the Empire don't go unpunished." "Oh, come on, don't ask questions like that." Valerius says, rolling his eyes. "We had a nice...thing going on," he adds as an afterthought, gesturing between himself and the major. "We all want the same things here. Rainier wants to find these people, I want to get them in a position they don't want to be in, and the cadet here wants to fly a mission somewhere other than around and around your shipyards. You want order and a society that isn't on the brink of collapse. The aptly-named Inquisitor here to make sure the enemies of the Empire don't go unpunished." "I'm prying?", his very way of saying that leaves little that a theatrical 'moi?!', with hand pointed to his own self would not be out of place. But Rainier had not done a good enough job to converse only with Jonas, his words having reached the Commander and by extent the other two CorSEc officers as well. "My apologies Commander, Major, it will not occur again.", there were limits to his flippancy and arrogance, even to one born on the exalted heights of Kuat. Strangely, even as he was speaking to the pilot, the man had kept his gaze on the two, more on Captain Durjan than the Major. Speaking of the Major, he observed with something approaching great disdain the similarly-seasoned...Lieutenant, Rainier dismissed as quickly as he was noticed. "CorSec can take care of things in this system.", he answers the Commander, his hard gaze drawn back to him. "And with all due respect, COmmander, Corellia is not on the brink of collapse. There are labour disputes and then there are opportunists, let us not blow this up into an out and out rebellion. As it stands, Commander, the signal itself must have also been activated by a person at the same facility as it was planted, it was more danger for this Five WOrlds group, but at the same time it left less traces." Jonas shuffles around behind his two senior officers, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket. Though he looks bored and disinterested, he is in fact listening intently, but he makes no comments. "I don't share your optimistic views of the situation, Major, and, considering the fact I'm _here_, neither do the people who sent me. If your investigation doesn't start producing useful information, you're going to see just how 'directly involved' we can get." Valerius narrows his eyes at the two, his patience starting to wear thin with the two; the resources of an entire sector's police force, and they couldn't come up with anything more useful than that? Put off initially by the rebuke, the man does not let himself show any of the discontent he is sure to be feeling, he is old enough to have been around in the original days of the Empire. When Peny speaks, it is in a calm manner although perhaps one can see that his words are slower chosen lest he lose control over his temper. "Of course, commander, you are welcome to supercede my command as is your prerogative. Mine is to spare Corellia any more bombings by this group and my methods have proven effective enough in the past. If however you believe that there is something we overlooked, my men are at your disposal." Durjan, meanwhile, did not add much to the conversation, eyes narrowing at the Imperial's strong words and the man took a few steps back and went closer to the bank of computers. "You know as we do that the signal was not live, that they accessed some master control of the system's broadcasting network, that they had someone physically activate the interuption. What do you suggest or is it that youintend to take over right away, you and your pilot?" "Yes, yes, we already know the where and the how. I want names, Captain. I want a who. Whoever manually tripped the interruption probably has some idea about who that is. Find them." "Commander.", this time it is not Peny that speaks up but his subordinate, Captain Durjan, the man leaning against a console, his gaze drawn to the lead of the Imperial trio although he accords the other two occasional glances. "Is it your intention to insult us or is it that you do not understand that Corellians aren't slaves for you to command as you will?" The question was asked very quietly, so quietly that perhaps the true implications might have been missed. "You bring a child-pilot who doesn't know the first thing about us and a decrepit popinjay and insult us in our own home. Are we not supposed to be allies that work for the realisation of law and order on Corellia and the galaxy as a whole?" Jonas emits something close to an irritated grunt, apparently not liking being called a child. "Y'know, the man does kind of have a point," he mutters, his response surprisingly mature given the insult directed towards him. "Maybe we ought to be working with them instead of coercing them and bossing them around? Y'know, so that they don't go around spiting us for the heck of it and making our jobs a lot harder?" "I'm not here for some ostentatious display of military pomposity, I'm here to ascertain the state of the civilian investigation," An exasperated, annoyed sigh escapes from the officer, the explanation offered to both Jonas and the Captain with a sidelong glance. "And if necessary, spur its progress with the available resources. I am _not_ here to be your impediment, but I do expect that you expect that you produce results." Taking a step toward the Major, Valerius lowers his voice slightly and continues. "The Inquisitor has on board it people not as understanding of the realities of the give-and-take nature of operational command as I am, Major. People much higher up on the food chain than yours truly, and people much more anxious to have a face to attach to this disturbing new trend. I trust you understand my position." Durjan ignores the two who spoke up in response to him, he ignores too the one who didn't, instead turning to his superior. "You see, Major.", the Major was rather upset about the lack of respect to the Imperials in his subordinate's voice, but Durjan went on. "It doesn't matter that some of them are decent beings, ultimately the whole bunch at the top is rotten and as long as that is the case, COrellia will never be safe within the Empire." Were one to pay attention to his right hand, lightly rested on the console as it was, it might be possible to notice his fingers moving and pressing a set of buttons. And even if that were missed, it would be difficult to miss the audible sound of locks engaging on the door leading up to this room. However, all is clarified as the techs who seemed absorbed in their work swivel their seats around, the blasters that were hidden lying on their laps exposed at last. "I am afraid that you will be our guest a sight longer than you believed you would be." Jonas frowns slightly as the door locks are engaged. "...well, that can't be good," he comments somewhat unnecessarily. As soon as he sees the blasters come out, he edges backwards, suddenly flighty. "Whoa, hey. Don't go and do anything hasty now. We're just talking here." He glances to Valerius and Rainier, his expression seeming to ask 'Are we froked?'. "Well, were." "It certainly explains a great deal," Valerius answers Jonas' comment flatly. "This is your great come-out? Unless you've got a serious hankering for a tactician, a spook, and a pilot, we're of no value to you, Durjan. As soon as the Inquisitor realizes what's happening..." he begins but trails off, leaving the rest to the imagination. "What are you doing, Durjan? YOu are betraying your oa....", the Major's shock having quickly given way to the disgust so palpable in Peny's voice, his words are cut short by Durjan's roared "No!" His weapon was drawn at last although he had not yet pointed it to those he would take prisoner. "You will not talk to me of betraying oaths, Major. You are a good man but Corellia cannot stay under Imperial dominion. And I will make no distinction between him.", at last the weapon rises, pointed towards Valerius before Durjan trains it on his superior, the quick jerk of his index the only sign before the blaster fires and Peny falls back limp on the floor. "And you." The sound of the blaster was a muted one, his weapon set to its lowest setting just above setting. Durjan remains rooted to the ground where he stood, staring at the man he just killed. "Very well.", after a long moment he turns back to the Imperials. "You are of no use to us and we do not target pawns such as you so when we get away, you will be released, pilot. As for you Commander, thank you for informing us of the value of your friend there, we thought he was just a political officer but he is more useful. You two will be staying with us longer. I can demonstrated that I won't hesitate at killing you if you pose a problem by shooting the pilot, or will you cooperate and not make any waves while we get out of here?" Though the pilot is armed, his blaster resting comfortably within a holster within his jacket as opposed to his hip, he refrains from drawing it due to the disadvantage in numbers. "Gee, I feel -so- much better about you guys letting me go now," he drawls sarcastically. "Rainier is...a man of many talents. But he shouldn't know anything that I don't, and if he does, he's in trouble... Very well, Durjan. We won't resist you," he says, holding up his hands symbolically. "Enjoy thinking you've done some good while the reality isn't quite so obvious. By the way," he adds, a knowing grin forming on his face, "Did you read the broadcast, or just write it?" "Me? I'm just a lowly naval intelligence person, I analyze things and detect patterns, a spy is too strong a word for one such as me.", Rainier at last says something, the man rising from his slumber. "And do not worry, Officer Alsten, they will let you go as soon as they're out of this station. I doubt that their colleagues would respond well to the kidnap of a senior Imperial officer what with all that it would bring down on Corellia's head." Durjan watches on with growing impatience, "Enough, what happens now is that we will all walk out of this room and we will go out of the station the back way. And I am a patriot, Commander, no less and no more. We will trade you for some of our imprisonned compatriots and then you will be let go, there is no need for needless heroics." "Hostage exchange?" That ruled out anything exciting they had in mind. How classically boring. "And what will become of the venerable Major here?" Valerius gestures to the fallen officer on the floor where him and his colleague had been standing earlier; a rather odd concern, notably, for someone like him to have. "The Major will be buried by the others, he was a good man Imperial.", the last word spat out as if it were a curse, and by Durjan's expression it was. "Never forget it, he was a good man, but plenty of good men have made bad choices." The two techs rose up from their seats, each placing himself closer to the two other Imperials in preparation for their impending departure. "Don't you try anything pilot, I know your kind is rash, but don't be stupid." "The Major will be buried by the others, he was a good man Imperial.", the last word spat out as if it were a curse, and by Durjan's expression it was. "Never forget it, he was a good man, but plenty of good men have made bad choices." The two techs rose up from their seats, each placing himself closer to the two other Imperials in preparation for their impending departure. "Don't you try anything pilot, I know your kind is rash, but don't be stupid." The man who approached Jonas was not much older than he, his blaster loosely held as a triumphant smirk was on his face. "Eh Captain, you sure we can't kill this one, he's not important and it'll feel good to have the Imperials pay for the Corellians they killed.", as he said so, the man turned away to look at Durjan. While Jonas initially looks as though he'll comply with whatever he's ushered to do, as soon as the officer's back is turned, he makes a grab for the man's blaster arm. "A lot of you Corellian's really like to gloat, don't you." "Killing my men does nothing--" Valerius cuts himself off as Jonas lunges at the tech's blaster arm. He hadn't wanted them to resist; his men on the Inquisitor would have found some way of tracking the prisoner's movements after releasing them, but an opportunity is an opportunity. In the moment that everyone's head turns to track Jonas' rapid movement, the Commander copies the action, going for the blaster arm of the nearest guard with the general intention of leveraging his joints to break his grip on the weapon, drop him to the ground, and hopefully put something useful together with Jonas afterwards that results in a more favorable outcome than imprisoned in a Corellian jail. It was all over very quickly, Rainier's enemy was dispatched with some ease, a sudden sidestep, and a swipe upwards of his hand that raised the blaster aimed at him until it was no threat. And his would-be jailor was finished off with a punch to his throat followed by a knee to his face when the guard keeled over in pain. The blaster was appropriated and he trained it on Durjan. Jonas was not so lucky, while he no longer had to deal with the blaster, his opponent regained his senses quickly. And while he had no chance of firing the weapon, he evaded the attack and responded with a sweep of his leg intent hoping to have Jonas fall to the ground. The Commander's own attacks, however, were rebuffed with contemptuous ease as Durjan interjected himself on the man's trajectory and swung his blaster arm forward, the weapon's butt painfully jabbed into Valerius' stomach. ' Jonas rolls a 19 for his DODGE skill. A Good roll!' ' Rainier rolls a 10 with 3D. A Poor roll!' Being athletic and fairly nimble, Jonas is able to use his quick reflexes to hop over the footsweep. As he lands, rather than firing the blaster, he responds by attempting to use it as a bludgeoning implement instead, aiming to catch the man at the back or side of the head and knock him out. ' Jonas rolls a 29 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Excellent roll!' ' Rainier rolls a 10 with 3D. A Poor roll!' Momentarily winded by the blow, the Commander fights through the intense ache, wasting no time in getting back into fighting stance. Using the reflexive muscle memory one gains from training in such things, even long unpracticed as it is in the Commander's case, he executes a misdirecting spin followed by a fast roundhouse kick directed at the man's head. ' Valerius rolls a 15 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Average roll!' ' Rainier rolls a 14 with 4D. An Average roll!' Captain Durjan finds himself having to bounce back as the kick intended for his head instead catches him in the shoulder, his grip almost loosening on his weapon before he tightens it back up again. "Idiot.", and with that he is jumping once more into the fray. After lunging at him with his left hand, the left fist balled and presumably aimed at the Imperial's chin, he reveals this to be a faint when his right hand jabs forward, the blaster's muzzle aimed directly at the Commander's throat in what just might be a more than uncomfortable feel should it strike. "Okay, done playing nice now," Jonas growls, flicking the safety on his blaster off and firing a stun bolt at his opponent, aiming to put him out of commission. "Who wants a piece of me, huh?" Trying to move out of the way of Durjan's feint, Valerius ends up right where the Captain wants him, catching the blaster jab to the throat. Winded and disoriented, he stumbles back a few steps, putting some space between him and Durjan. "Cadet! The Captain!" He coughs out. He couldn't afford letting someone like that off the hook and get away. Rather than leave himself open to the pilot's blaster, Durhan steps forward, closing the distance that opened up between him and the Commander. His own blaster, most certainly not set to stun, was kept pressed tight to the enior Imperial officer's stomach, a finger held tight against the trigger. "Consider your option, pilot.", he says to Jonas, a dispassionate look given to the last of his companions that was still standing, the man having crumpled to the floor moments earlier as the stun bolt hit him. "I can fire well before anything you shoot reaches me and even a single hit from my weapon will kill your superior. Don't do anything stupid." Jonas trains his weapon on Durjan and holds it there, panting slightly from exertion after having dispatched another of the CorSec officers. He doesn't fire, however, instead glancing first to Valerius and then Rainier, as if seeking some sort of cue from his superior officers. The pilot smirks. "Pilot; stupid is my specialty. You're Corellian, right? You like your odds?" Rubbing his still-sore throat--this kind of thing is definitely not his strong point--Valerius looks at Durjan. "Either way, you still end up dead. Or worse. Want to play against the odds and wait? There's bound to be _someone_ here following protocol." The door suddenly explodes inward beneath a hail of blaster shots, and a white-shod boot kicks in the last remnants of the durasteel. Entering through, his features veiled by the inhuman visor of a stormtrooper's helmet, a trooper enters, the markings on his armor signifying him as higher-ranking than is usual. He holds the standard-issue E-11 in his hands, swirling smoke from the wreckage billowing around him, and takes aim at the CorSec officers. "Drop your guns, or I'll drop you instead." Rainier only smiles, the man had been fiddling with his jacket's collar for some reason, and suddenly his eyes open wide and he raises his hands to his ears. It was a mere second after he turned away from the door that his odd reaction was explained as the thing just....well, just blows up. Durjan was almost caught by the explosion's force, but as it tossed him around, so too would it to the COmmander and he threw himself closer to Valerius, stepping behind him and attempting to keep his eyes on the two weapons pointed at him. "You do that, he goes with me.", the STormtrooper's answer that, but he is soon addressing Jonas, "I walk out of here, I live to fight another day. I die, I take a high-ranking Imperial officer with me, I become a martyr to my people.", the smirk that curves Durjan's lips is nothing if not triumphant. "Odds are looking good where I'm sitting." Cocky, the Captain was, even as he was the only one remaining out of the original trio, he was still far from panicking. Jonas tilts his head in Brek's direction, allowing himself something of an amused smile. "You're late, bucket head, but nice timing." He glances back to the CorSec captain, his joviality fading. "Yeah...good luck with that." With little fanfare, his thumb slides over his blaster settings again so that it's no longer set on stun, and then in an instant he pulls the trigger and fires at the man, aiming past the living shield in front of him. At the same moment as the pilot fires, Brek's blaster rifle goes off, red beams shooting from the muzzle. Unfortunately, the notoriously poor accuracy of the E-11 model ensures that despite his perfect aim, the beam strays leftward, hitting his superior officer in the shoulder. The gun dips downward, a momentary pause between the shot and his next words: "The hostage only works if we care. There's plenty of bureaucrats and only one of you. Drop him. Now." "You're delusional," Valerius scoffs. "You're not going anywhere." As he speaks, the Commander looks around the room, hoping to find something that they could use to distract him long enough to get out of the way. Maybe destroying power ballast for the light fixtures...the terminals...? Distracted by his line of thought, and looking in the wrong direction at the time, he doesn't notice Jonas ready or fire his sidearm. Fortunately, that particular shot missed, but the next one didn't. "OWWW!" Striking the Commander squarely in the shoulder, he yells in surprise, clutching, looking at, then covering the wound, leaning against a nearby piece of equipment. "Damn it, I was _thinking_!" He glares at the helmeted Stormtrooper, understandably displeased with the action. "Well, Captain? Now that we've demonstrated that everyone here has _absolutely no regard for my life_..." a similar glare is delivered to Jonas "Are we done here?" Durjan pivots so as to evade one of the shots directed at him and he did the same for the other one, but one of those was not aimed well enough that it would strike only him. With a rather sickening...splosh?...the blaster strikes his human shield and the man lets out a loud snicker. "Gotta aim better.", slowly but surely he begins to walk towards the entrance, dragging along with him the Commander towards the entrance, careful to keep the two others in his field of vision. "Cut the bluffing, if he dies, I may not make it out of here, but you sure won't like it how your side treats you. That's the thing about serving the Empire, you are nothing but bugs to your higher-ups and when you make a mistake they'll crush you like a bug." "Oh, blah blah blah. Is that all you guys do? Brag?" After seeing the lack of success due to his poor aim, Jonas growls and charges forward at Durjan in a running tackle, his elbow extended to knock the wind out of him should he connect. Over his shoulder, he yells, "A little assistance here might be nice!" ' Jonas rolls a 14 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Average roll!' Commander Valerius has never been a hostage before, and he's not about to let this be his first time. Being dragged--or rather, pushed--from behind, he jerks to his injured side, aiming to elbow Durjan firmly in the midsection with his non-injured arm, even so wincing from the exertive pain. ' Valerius rolls a 18 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. A Good roll!' Halsmer, spotting the window of opportunity, joins the fray, flipping the E-11 in his hand and brandishing it like a baton as he moves in to engage Durjan. He swings again and again, the mask of his helmet impassive as he attempts to overwhelm the hostage-taker. "You are free to surrender," he remarks, calmly. ' Brek rolls a 15 for his MELEE COMBAT skill. An Average roll!' Cocky Durjan was to think he would walk out of here without the other two trying something, although he might have been right in not having expected them both to rush him at once. But first, there was the Commander's attempts to deal with, and he blocks the elbow attempt by the man and digs his blaster's muzzle deeply into the injured arm of the man. This leaves him open to the tackle from the pilot,t hankfully as he slides back, recoiling from the impact, the rifle that was being wielded as a club strikes him on his left shoulder rather than his head. He maintains his grip on his weapon, a shot quickly fired at the Stormtrooper's nearest foot to put him out of commission. ' Rainier rolls a 10 with 4D. A Poor roll!' ' Brek rolls a 22 for his DODGE skill. An Excellent roll!' Once he's gotten in close, Jonas makes a grab for Durjan's blaster - the sooner the weapon was out of his hands, the less damage he could do to the Imperials present in the room. "I'll take that!" he grunts as he grapples with the officer for the gun. Recovering from the painful experience of having his wound jabbed with the muzzle of the Captain's sidearm, Valerius gets back up, watching Jonas and Brek drive the revolutionary into submission. "Don't damage him too heavily. We wouldn't want to end up having nothing for interrogation," he sneers slightly, thinking of what might be in store for Durjan. After a thoroughly unforgiving beating, Brek straightens up, a last vicious club to the head incapacitating Durjen for the moment. The butt of the blaster is bloody, gleaming in the unforgiving artificial lighting, and the trooper approaches his superior, digging through his pockets with his free hand to produce a small field-issue tank of bacta. "For your shoulder, sir," explains Halsmer, before holstering his gun and nodding deferentially. "I did not mean to miss, and if I may venture the opinion, sir, the E-11s are becoming increasingly shoddy. There's a matter of cost-effectiveness, and then there's putting people in danger because they don't have accurate guns when they need them." He allows for a meaningful pause before returning to check on the hostage-taker. Jonas raises his hands defensively, one hand waving his blaster pistol around. "Hey, don't blame me either!" he says, as if in explanation to Valerius. "I was -trying- to hit the guy, but I'm a pilot. Shooting things with a blaster and beating guys up is his job." He jabs his thumb in Brek's direction. As he holsters his blaster, he adds, "So now what? Do we have any idea of how much CorSec's been compromised by guys like our Captain Durjan here?" The CorSec Captain, former Captain given that he shot his direct superior, is not given the opportunity to f9ight back. The pilot and Stormtrooper falling on him and keeping up their assault unrelentlessly. Whatever is said is missed by the man as he fell unconscious a few hits of the E-11 back, the weapon no doubt cracked here and there by now. Shoddy it might not necessarily be, but it's still a piece of technology and not a stick. Durjan's former colleagues rush him to the room, concern or caution having kept them back until now although their first concern is obviously the now-deceased Major. Eyeing the bloody blaster and the viciously beaten incapacitated body with distaste--again, not exactly his thing--the Commander takes the field bacta kit and applies the compound over the wound before returning pressure. "Don't concern yourselves with that," he groans at the mention of his wound from Brek and the near-hit from Jonas' fire. "You devalued his perception of his hostage, it was a tactically sound plan, even if ... surprising. But, if you don't mind, _try_ to keep that to a minimum?" "I'm not sure...but we can't take chances. We have to consider them corrupt. Hopefully, it will give us the leverage to bring additional ships to the system. This is rapidly getting out of hand," the last part is added with a disapproving frown, looking around the destroyed CorSec facility room. "He doesn't just have to be an interrogation subject," recommends Brek Halsmer quietly, lifting the Captain's unconscious chin in his hand. "He can be an example. It's clear that they're not taking us seriously, and that's going to hurt them too, just as much as it hurts us. They have to understand that it's better to be our friends, and we're not going to accomplish that by hiding this man behind closed doors." The stormtrooper rises, his E-11 bouncing against his leg. "I apologize if I speak out of turn, sir, but I see a tactical advantage here, just as I saw one before in devaluing you. The best counter to corruption is money, but the second-best is fear, and we have to make these people fear what we're capable of doing to them." The pilot snorts faintly. "You know, I can't believe I'm the one saying this, but whatever happened to subtlety? Sure, you can use fear to deter most people, but if theyr'e going to pull stuff like this--" he gestures to the unconscious officer. "Chances are they're gonna do it anyway. You're better off finding THOSE guys and getting rid of them." Valerius grins, listening to the stormtrooper's opinion. "Do you read the works of Tarkin as well as ancient Corellian philosophers, Trooper? That sounds exactly like something he'd say. I'm not inclined to agree, however; the knowledge that he was what he was might not be widely disseminated. The wavering individual might be persuaded to change his mind if people that high up are revealed to be radical. We have to gauge the consequences of our every action." Jonas tilts his head slightly and leans against the partially-blown out wall. "See? The big boss gets the idea." He makes a face, grimacing at his own words. "I can't believe I'm promoting the sneaky espionage approach... When do I get to go back to blowing stuff up in a TIE again? I miss that." "I don't like it any more than you do, Cadet," Valerius responds. "If there was any way I could arrange a naval battle to decide this state of affairs, I would." Halsmer falls silent again and paces over to the prisoner, this time to shackle him in anticipation of his future awakening. "I suppose there is this point. If the intimidation approach fails, then we are invariably viewed as arrogant, overreaching, and posturing. Subtlety may be the best approach in this regard. Fear is only viable if there is sufficiently certainty in our information to enforce it." He pauses. "To answer your question, sir, yes - I do read Tarkin. I have read a great many people and taken the advice of a previous superior of mine, who has informed me on the matters of improvisation and effectiveness. I've taken quite a bit from both." The pilot cadet shrugs and pushes himself away from the wall and begins walking out the door. "Well...All this thinking's giving me a headache. If I'm not going to be reprimanded on my terrible aim, I'm going to go get myself a drink." He glances to Brek over his shoulder. "You in, buddy? I'm buying." "Hey, now. The only reason you two aren't being reprimanded is because I'm me and I appreciate the little tactical tapestry that you made. I've seen some pretty harsh punishments for a lot less," he grins, still applying pressure to the wound. With regards to the drinks, "I bet the Major had something expensive and Corellian in his office. Or is that too morbid for you two?" "I live and breathe morbid, sir," replies Halsmer, in such a tone of voice that one can almost see the grim smile underneath his helmet. When at last he reaches up to remove it, there the expression is. He reaches up to swat the hair from his forehead. "I could stand a glass or two. I get the feeling I'm going to need it soon enough." He eyes the prisoner with obvious distaste. "I'm game," Jonas replies, striding back into the room. "I don't think CorSec would appreciate us looting the office of their recently-deceased major, but, eh... I don't think he'll miss it." "I get the feeling I need it now. This bacta stings." The Commander winces, still applying pressure to the wound. "Don't be silly, Cadet. We're 'investigating.'" "I think the technical term is 'liberating'," throws in Brek, moving for the office without further preamble. "'Investigation', however, is liable to look better on the reports, so I move for its inclusion if this should come to prominence." He tucks the helmet beneath his left armpit, glancing over his shoulder toward his two compatriots. "Besides, if CorSec takes issue, we have blasters, and I have a 'detonator. I'm sure we can... negotiate politely." There's a small smile playing at his lips as he makes the suggestion. "Hey, Halsmer, if you're going to blow yourself up, please have the decency to not take us with you," Jonas comments wryly. "My life expectancy as a pilot is short enough as it is, and I don't need you making it any shorter. At the very least, let me get drunk first and get at least one night in with a pretty girl, and THEN maybe I'll consider it." "I call it 'beaurocrafting'," the Commander explains to Brek as the group makes way for the office. "Wait, Jonas, 'at least one'? ..." "Right now he's sitting at zero, total. He'll take what he can get," answers Halsmer calmly, leading the way into the office and glancing back with a completely deadpan expression. He immediately makes a brief scan of the premises, not having previously viewed them. Jonas quickly grows flustered, which he attempts to hide with indignation. "Hey, shut up! I didn't mean it like that! I've had plenty of experience; I'm just not into sharing, okay? Quit prying." The pilot eventually falls silent, though he can occasionally be heard grumbling something under his breath. "Heh." Valerius grins and starts making his way around the Captain's office, which had been nearest. "Lets see...if I know officers, which, unfortunately I do..." He trails off, eyeing a small cabinet behind the desk. "Ah, here we go." After (literally) singe-handedly cracking the electronic lock, an easy feat for a seasoned geek like the Commander, he withdraws a tall, mostly full bottle of corellian whiskey from inside. "And behold, by understanding of memory leaks and buffer overflows: alcohol." "Someday, when I have things worth locking up, I'm not going to trust electronics," reflects Halsmer as he stares at the bottle. He lays a gauntleted hand on the desk. "No, not me. Mandalorian steel and cortosis, alloyed into a single, superstrong, laser-resistant material. And the controls to open it are going to be ten floors down in a seemingly unrelated alcove." He breaks out of his reverie: "Do we have glasses as well?" The pilot stares blankly at both men, looking slightly disturbed. "Okay...you two officially scare me. Do you spend all your free time thinking about all these sorts of things or what?" "Hardly. It's not that complicated. You just have to recognize where memory is allocated, then write over it by overflowing a nearby register. It's easy on small systems like that without memory protection," Valerius explains, withdrawing glasses from the cabinet as well and setting them down on the desk. "He's losing me too, in fairness," Halsmer comments, reaching out to take the bottle while Valerius is occupied in setting down the glasses. He pours in order of command, first the Commander, then himself, and lastly the pilot, setting down the now considerably less full bottle and accepting his glass. He glances between them, quirks his lips, and suggests: "To solving the galaxy's problems with blasters?" Jonas strides over and takes up his own glass, offering little more than a hasty nod and a dismissive wave. "Yeah, sure." He takes a large swig of whiskey, nearly draining half of his glass. "I can't think of a better way to end a day on the job... No, wait. I can." He shrugs. "But this isn't too bad." "And to the end of this mess," Valerius adds, likewise taking a liberal sip from his glass.